Improvement in aerial machines



fitn/eggs Ientors. Umm. @www fmw J. B. WARD.

AERIAL MACHINE.

No.1851465. i PatenVted-D'ec-19, 1876.

N"Uivrrrm STATES i PATENT .Ormea lJOHN B. WARD, or sANxFRaNeIsoo, CALIFORNIA,

IMPRQVEMENT INAERIAL MAC.H|NES'.

Speoiiicationforming part of Letters PatentNfo. 185.465, dated December 19,718,716; application tiled- Septeinbex; 19, 1876.

4 tor, in which I have provideda mechanism.

combining the application of downwardly and horizontally acting currents ofv airwitli-snit` able guiding and directing planes, so that the machine may be elevated or depressed, driven forward or turned in any direction, at wil-l.

Referring to'the accompanying drawings for amore coin plete explanation of my inven tion, Figure 1 is ai perspective view of the der Vice. i

.'"A, represents the body oi' my machine, which may be made of any suitable shape and ma l terial, so that it will be light and strong, such as thin metal properly` braced, bamboo, "or, wood." 1n the .present case; I have shown this body ot' such a shape as to ontain the mechanism necessary to operate it, and it is mounted upon the'wheels B and the steering-wheels C. -"hese Vwheels serve 4to support the machine 'while it is at4 rest, to receiveit when it comes to the earth, and to. support it when it starts upon the surface, until it has lacquired a speed sufficient to allow the appliances to be brought into action which cause it to leave the surface and move through the air. The steering-wheel is connected with snit-able devices,

so that it can be readily turned from side to side' to guide the machine while it is on the earth. .I

ghe operating mechanism consists of au en gine, either steam, air, electricity, or any form y which4 can be adapted, and for lightness it may be made. 01;'l aluminum. This drivingpower, is in the present case,`repre'sented by springs D, and by means' of gear or belt lheels E power'is transmitted to the axles of the wheels B.

The power which I intend to employ to op# erate my machine in the airconsists ofa number of rotary fans suitably arranged to produce currents of `air in a downward and horizontal direction, andI also employ a gyrochine'ismaintained-when in the air. In order to elevate the machine, I employ a series of `fan-bhi'werm 'F F, which are constructed in cases at the sides ot' the machine, and are made to receive air from openings at the sides' about their shafts, while the discharged openings Glopendownward in a vertical direction. ln the centerol' the machine, at the bottom,

l have-iliade a large circular opening, and

within this opening. the wheel H-is made to' revolve rapidly. 'This Awheel'- hasradial venes` within its circumlerence, and these vanes may be opened or closed, more or less, by suitable connections, so that it will serve both as a screwto assist in elevating the machine, and by its size amltlrejelocity of its movement it acts like a gyroscope to prevent the machine from upsetting. The forward movement of my machine is attained `by means of a fanblower, I, which is placed at the rear end of the machine, as shown. Aroundthe upper edge of the body A, at each side, are formed large tubularconveyingpassages, which have openings at the front to receive the airand they lead directly to the sides 4of the case of the blowers, so that the air from the'm will be received and discharged by the fan. y This fan is connected with the operating mechanism'hy means of pulleys upon each end ot' the fan- .shal't within the tube 1', and holes maybe made in the sides of the 'tubes to allow the belts to pass through. The discharge-open-.-

K, which are hinged, so as to move from side to side, and thus direct the blast as may be desired, and so assist in guiding the machine, To movethese gate'.,/l I employ a yoke, L, which is operated by cords from a drum or steering-wheel within the machine.' The spindie` or stem of this yokehas an.arm, M, projecting at right' angles, and this arm is connected with the barvN, which unites the two doors or gates. y

. In order to make use of the air to guide and sustain my machine when afloat, I haveeon-` structed a plane, O, which may be made quite large, and is hinged or suitably supportedat .P, so that its ends can be elevated or de.-

pressedV by means of ropes Q, which lead to h mechanism at R, which is also a common censcopic motion,-bywhich the level of the man y lows:

ter for the ropes operating the steering-wheel nC and the gates K. i

Yit forward upon the wheels B C until a considerable speed is attained.

The large plane surface O is then turned to such a position that its front inclines upward, and this, to gether with the eiect of the downward blast from the fans E in the sides and the central screw H, will raise the machine from the earth. By the use of the plane 0 and the gates K, I am now enabled to turn the machine up or down, right or left, at will. vWhen the machine is to be brought again to the earth, it must be done at some favorable place, where it can alight gradually and run along upon its Wheels until it comes to a stop. The plane O is constructed with anarched top, as shown, so braced and strengthened with ribs as to give the greatest amount of stiffness.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an aerial machine, the rotary fans or equivalent blast-engines, F F, constructed in pairs upon each side, and forcing the air down ward to assist in raising the machine, in combination with the gyroscopic wheel H,-to main# tain the equilibrium, substantially as herein described.

2.. The wheel H, fitted to rotate in a central 4ease and act as a gyroscope, said wheel being also provided with vanes, which are closed or opened at will, so that the wheelwill act as a screw to assist in raising the machine,

substantially as herein described.

3. The device I, for producing a horizontal blast, in combination with the hinged fans, varies, or gates K, with a suitable apparatus for operating them, so as to steer the machine, substantially as herein described.

4. The plane '0, vso mounted and operated, by ropes Q. and mechanism R, that its angle may be changed to elevate and Vdepress the machine, in combination with elevating and propelling devices, substantially as and forlv the purpose herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

JOHN B. WARD. V[1..l s.]`v Witnesses:

' OLWYN T. STAGY,

FRANK A. BRooKs. 

